1. Field of Invention
This invention relates, in general, to means for automatically breaking the circuit of an electric storage battery under conditions in which it is desirable to have the battery load disconnected from the battery, and more particularly to a condition responsive circuit breaker adapted to be mounted on a battery terminal post.
2. Description of Prior Art
Heretofore, automatic circuit breakers for batteries have been employed as safety devices in vehicles to disconnect the battery from the vehicle and open ignition circuitry to prevent fires due to the ignition of leaking fuel in the event of an overturn or other serious mishap of the vehicle.
The prior art shows impact switches that can be installed in series with the battery to carry the operating currents of the battery. In particular, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,215,792 to Lawyer, 3,882,957 to Fritz, and 3,198,899 to Hitchcock show such devices for installation into a vehicle. Although the structures shown in these patents are adequate to perform their desired functions, the structures of these devices require that they be permanently affixed to the vehicle employing the device. Also, with the trend toward smaller cars and the increase of accessories being found in the engine compartment, it may be very difficult to find space to mount the device shown in the above patents. In addition, the installation of the above devices might require the use of special tools, as holes may be required to be drilled into the vehicle body to mount the device. In the Lawyer and Fritz patents, additional heavy duty battery cables are required at additional expense and difficult of installation, and the length required for these additional cables could differ for each vehicle. The device shown in the Hitchcock patent would eliminate the need for an additional battery cable, but the device is still subject to difficulties in installation, as it not only would require space to install it, but additionally the housing must be grounded to the vehicle.